Designing a feedback system empowering users to refine Alexa's proactive actions for greater accuracy and trust.
Executed Project Brief
This project was part of an Amazon-Sponsored Externship mentored by Amazon's UX Researcher, Monica Chan. I worked alongside 6 more UX designers under Monica's guidance to successfully execute this project in five months.
Designing a feedback system empowering users to refine Alexa's proactive actions for greater accuracy and trust.
Why is User's feedback important?
Before we jump in, we need to understand
What are proactive actions?
Proactive Actions
Actions that are triggered without the user’s input are called Proactive actions. Devices with this feature identify patterns in the user’s routine and suggest or perform actions accordingly. In Alexa, these are referred to as HUNCHES.
Today, thanks to predictive and proactive features like Hunches, one in four smart-home interactions is initiated by Alexa — enabling users to enjoy seamless assistance without needing to take action themselves. This number is is only expected to grow as home automation advances.
More User Feedback
Fewer Incorrect Actions
Improved User Trust
Alexa needs to inform users about the actions and collect feedback to determine if any action was performed incorrectly. This process helps Alexa improve its future actions and build user trust.
Before we jump in, we need to understand
What research did we do?
Data Collection
Secondary Research
Digital Ethnography
Literature Review - User Agency and Language
Conversational Feedback and Voice Command
Consumer Insights
Behavioral Psychology
Competitor Analysis
Primary Research
User Interviews - Total 12
Reddit Users - Interviews and Chat (Total 5)
Co-Design Workshop - 4 Participants
Diary Study - 2 Participants over 3 weeks
Now that the context is set, let's look at what we did
Now that the context is set, let's look at what we did
Important Research Insights for this project
Users are not Aware of Hunches and how to find it in the app
Users generally prefer notifications to be semi-proactive, except for critical situations, where they prefer more intrusive notifications
Users tend to give feedback only when something doesn't work as expected
Users were more likely to give feedback when the impact of feedback was transparent
Data Analysis
Current problems and how we resolved them
Final Solution
Final Solution
Alexa needs to inform users about the actions and collect feedback to determine if any action was performed incorrectly. This process helps Alexa improve its future actions and build user trust.
To provide feedback, users must first be aware of Hunches. However, in the current model, activities are buried within the settings, requiring users to navigate four levels deep in the hierarchy. This makes Hunches difficult to locate.
Problem 1: Lack of awareness
1
2
3
4
Navigate Problems
Navigate Solutions
(Click)
(Click)
To learn more about how our research shaped our designs and how user testing guided our iterative process, check out the Case Study
Design Process
Followed a non-waterfall approach
Impact
Key Outcomes
Enhanced Communication: Users reported a significant reduction in frustration as proactive actions were better communicated and perceived as less intrusive.
Improved Accessibility: he introduction of widgets as a passive interaction mode was met with enthusiasm, allowing users to engage with notifications seamlessly and on their own terms.
Greater User Satisfaction: The refined experience increased user confidence in Alexa’s Hunches feature, resulting in stronger alignment between user expectations and device performance.
The project also received strong support from our industry sponsor, who expressed confidence in the solution’s ability to improve user interactions with Alexa.
Usability Testing
Impact
Amazon externship
Unique Opportunity - Collab with a UX Researcher from Amazon
Learnings - Problem solving, user-centric solutions, efficiency, agile methods
Personal Significance
What kept me on the edge of the seat
To Case Study
Thank you
This was an oversimplification of the project. Check out the case study to learn more in detail